Mount And Blade II: Bannerlord

Regardless of your army size, your infantry will usually be the most important unit. In Mount And Blade II: Bannerlord, your infantry line will make up the backbone of your army and be the first line of fighting when the melee starts.

Related: Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord – Best Units, Ranked

Having a strong infantry line can help protect your archers in the back or even stop a cavalry charge dead in its tracks. Having enough of the right units within your infantry is crucial to making sure you win each battle.

Updated by Joshua Leeds on August 22, 2023: As you fight in larger battles, you’ll see your infantry units suffering the most casualties. You’ll need to be on top of hiring replacements after each battle but also use this opportunity to hire and train troops that will survive what killed the previous ones. While many infantry units are available for use, this list was expanded to show players more viable options for their frontline.

15
Elite Mercenary Maceman

The mercenary units make it easy for you to obtain higher-tier units without needing to level up your lower-level recruits. Early into your campaign, Elite Mercenary Macemen can greatly increase your power should you have the gold to afford them.

While these units are great early on, they do begin to fall off later in the game or in more complex battles. Their weapons only make them decent fighters against other infantry units, and have lower-quality gear than other upper-tier units. They are easy to obtain for a quick boost in numbers but should rarely stay in your army long-term.

14
Strugian Heavy Spearman

The Strugian Heavy Spearmen are great frontline troops for anti-cavalry or defensive battles. They have a decently strong armor and a strong spear that excels when standing still but falls off while moving.

Their shields have a decent durability and will quickly break under sustained arrrow fire, meaning they should be switched out into your back line until your enemy’s calvary starts charging forward. After the initial charge, their one-handed sword is only decent, and these troops may lose against other melee high-tier units.

13
Battanian Oathsword

The Battanian Oathsword is one of the more well-rounded infantry units, coming with a spear, sword, javelins, and a shield. They do suffer from their lack of strong armor but have the tools to deal with just about any enemy before their armor becomes a factor.

Between their spear and sword, they are ready for either a cavalry charge or on-foot fighting. Their additional javelins are where Battanian troops stand out and are great for dealing with any units charging toward you.

12
Strugian Heavy Axeman

As their name implies, the Strugian Heavy Axeman wears heavy armor with other heavy weapons at their disposal. These units are great on defense, but their heavy armor weighs them down if you attempt to use them offensively.

Related: Mount & Blade 2 Bannerlord – Best Weapon Types, Ranked

With their armor and shield, these units can take a hit and are perfect options for defending a castle or city. As these units are more defensive in nature, it’s best to pair them with fast-moving heavy hitters to balance out the effectiveness of your infantry.

11
Khuzait Drakhan

The Khuzait are most well-known for their horseback units, making the Drakhan often go overlooked. This unit comes with a strong armor and shield, making them a great counter to their kingdom’s go-to Calvary units.

While these units are heavily armored and equipped, much of their gear is a bit more on the flashy side than utility. Their armor doesn’t provide the greatest defense of upper-tier units, while their one-handed sword only does a small amount of damage.

10
Battanian Wildling

The Battanians aren’t well known for their powerful infantry lines. While the individual troops may lose in extended battle, the Wildling’s javelins can greatly hurt a charging enemy when positioned and used right.

These javelins don’t have the highest range but are perfect when sieging a castle and taking out archers from the ground below the wall. Their strong armor and shield also make them difficult to take down in battle and a perfect unit to charge against an enemy archer line.

9
Aserai Veteran Infantry

The Aserai Veteran Infantry is a powerful enemy that will hit hard and fast at the start of the battle. They have 160 skill in one-handed attacks and a strong polearm skill to hold off cavalry units.

This unit also comes with a javelin to help wear down enemy lines before they reach your troops. After their javelins are thrown, these troops will slowly fall off should the enemy also focus on powerful attacks than defense.

8
Imperial Elite Menavliaton

Imperial soldiers have many options when it comes to upgrading them. The Menavliaton path is a decent option for more armor and countering cavalry units. This unit suffers in its close one-handed combat abilities.

Per its namesake, these units’ polearm, the Menavlion, is where it excels. Thanks to their added armor and good polearm abilities, this unit makes for a great counter in surviving and stopping a cavalry charge from rushing past them.

7
Battanian Verteran Falxman

Like many Battanian units, this unit comes equipped with a throwing weapon to be used in close combat. Unlike the javelin, the axe hits much harder, and thanks to this unit’s throwing ability, they can be incredibly accurate and effective.

This unit does suffer from its lack of decent armor and shield. When paired with stronger defensive units, the Flaxman can be very strong second-line units to join in the fight after the initial charge and arrow barrage.

6
Imperial Legionary

The Imperial Legionary perfectly sums up the Empire faction as a whole, being very well-rounded but not perfect at any one thing. The Legionary has decent one-handed and pole-arm weapons and skills, along with relatively good armor to keep them up in battle.

While the Legionary doesn’t excel at any particular thing, it is a perfect option for filling out an army for wartime. While each faction does excel in different areas, the majority of battles will have all sorts of units and army compositions. Your army will rarely be in a place to perfectly counter an enemy army, but enough legionary units can help you be ready for anything.

5
Strugian Heroic Linebreaker

The Strugian Heroic Linebreaker is the ultimate front-line vanguard unit and truly lives up to its name. They move fast, hit hard, and quickly break the solid infantry lines of your enemy. A small group of these units can break an enemy’s ranks allowing your troops to move beyond or hit the enemy from behind.

Related: Mount And Blade 2: Bannerlord: Best Mounted Archer Units, Ranked

This unit does suffer from its lack of protection and armor, but they will live short and very effective lives. Their additional throwing axes make them even more effective and deadly to the enemy they are charging at.

4
Valandian Sergeant

The Valandians are best known for their incredibly powerful crossbow units. Having such a strong archer line in the back requires your infantry in the front keeping the enemy away.

The Sergeant is the perfect unit for holding a line against any enemy type. They gave strong one-handed and polearm weapons, along with a very strong shield. Mixing in their decently strong armor makes them incredibly difficult enemies to beat, and enough of them can make a perfect line to protect your archers.

3
Khuzait Drakhan

The Khuzait have the best and most numerous mounted units. Making it funny, they also have one of the best anti-cavalry infantry units. The Drakhan are able to not only stop a cavalry charge but also eliminate these units entirely. Calvary charges can shred infantry armies, and enough Drakhan can turn the tables.

The Drakhan are able to survive thanks to their heavy armor and shield. While they do suffer when fighting other infantry units, their efficiency against cavalry make them incredibly valuable in any army.

2
Aserai Mameluke Palace Guard

The Aserai Mameluke Palace Guard is another two-handed using heavy hitter. They have throwable axes, making them deadly at close range and in melee combat. While they don’t have much in terms of defense, they deal enough damage to take out multiple enemies before they go down.

The Mameluke Palace Guards do move slower than the Heroic Line Breaker but have heavier armor allowing them to tank many more hits. Being Palace guards, these units do excel in defending walls in the cramped fighting space.

1
Valandian Voulgier

While the Drakhan is just one unit that is good against cavalry, the Voulgiers are perfect against cavalry. Not many units will leave you excited about an incoming cavalry charge, and only the Voulgier will leave you feeling confident enough to chargeback.

The Voulge is their main weapon, acting as both a spear and axe. This weapon is perfect for breaking a cavalry charge or hacking the rider off of a slowed horse. The swinging attacks of the voulge also make this weapon perfect for fighting from a safe distance against almost all one-handed fighters.

Next: Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord: Best Archer Units, Ranked